COVID -19: Umahi decries spread among govt officials, orders closure of offices

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has ordered the closure of all government offices in the state from June 4 to June 10 to check the spread of COVID-19 among government officials.
Umahi gave the directive in a statement by Mr Uchenna Orji, Commissioner for Information and Orientation on Thursday in Abakaliki.
The governor expressed displeasure over the infection rate of the virus among state Executive Council (EXCO) members.
Umahi, however, stated that though the affected government officials were in stable condition, the closure was to ensure effective contact tracing.
“All civil servants shall work from their various homes within this period but shall leave their phones open to respond to official imperatives.
“Dr Richard Nnabo and his medical team should commence comprehensive decontamination of government offices including the new and old complexes.
“All EXCO members and government officials, especially those of the Ministries of Finance and that of Budget, are advised to undergo COVID-19 tests within this seven-day period,” he said.
The governor  further directed that during the period of closure, all workers especially from the two aforementioned ministries, should go into self-isolation.
“All site operations shall however, remain open but must be in strict observance of COVID-19 protocols.
“All sons and daughters of Ebonyi living outside the state are advised to avoid the risk of returning, as records show that the positive cases hitherto recorded in the state are from people who returned from epicentre states,” he said.
He expressed dismay over the number of COVID-19 cases in the state which had ‘unfortunately’ risen to 75 out of over 3, 000 samples tested.
“I plead with our people to take the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) protocols seriously especially all precautionary measures of hand-washing, use of sanitisers and face masks, observation of social distancing, avoiding crowded places among others.
“This is important because we have entered into another phase of the COVID-19 spread called community transmission.
“We have however, discharged a total of 26 COVID–19 patients while 49 are still receiving treatment and are in stable conditions,” he said.